By Ben Cox
Photo/Submitted to The Source
Winter has a way of testing everyone involved in high school sports, but we are making it through. March Madness for basketball is just 60 days away. More tournaments are brewing. Rescheduling is underway. Let’s look at what happened this week.
If you were looking for a team that made the most of its opportunity this past week, start with Jacksonville’s boys. The Crimsons rolled into Jersey Community High School for the Mid-Winter Classic and left with a championship, a handful of accolades, and the look of a team that’s starting to understand exactly who it is.
Jacksonville opened tournament play on January 19 with a 64-50 win over host Jersey. It wasn’t flashy, but it was firm—the kind of win that sets a tone. Two nights later, the Crimsons handled Cahokia 71-56, and by January 22 they were clearly in command, closing out Granite City 66-46 to secure the title.
Troy DeFrates was named tournament MVP, a fitting honor for a player who continues to do a little bit of everything. Senior guard Latrell Hemphill and senior forward Grayson Prevett joined him on the All-Tournament Team.
Now the Crimsons return home for three straight games—Highland on January 27, Illinois Valley Central on January 30, and a conference matchup with Sacred Heart-Griffin on January 31. Home floors have a way of amplifying momentum, and Jacksonville has earned some.
After the intensity of the Winchester Tournament, Routt Catholic’s week looked relatively calm. The Rockets took care of business on January 20, knocking off Griggsville-Perry 62-41 at the Routt Dome in Western Illinois Valley Conference play. At 18-3 overall and 3-0 in conference action, Routt continues to build a résumé to go along with a top seeded team ready for postseason. Routt heads back on the road January 30 to face North Greene in another WIVC matchup to finish up the month.
South County’s boys learned the hard way this week that winter doesn’t care about marquee matchups. A much-anticipated conference showdown with top-rated Calvary scheduled for January 23 was postponed due to weather, with a makeup date still to be determined. Before that delay, the Vipers were locked in a physical MSM Conference battle with Pawnee on January 20, falling 45-41 in a game that went down to the final minutes. South County joins the 8-team 5th Annual Triopia JV/Varsity Tournament this week. The Vipers open pool play against Griggsville-Perry at 5 p.m. on January 26.
Triopia spent the week grinding through Western Illinois Valley Conference play. The Trojans dropped a close 52-46 decision to top-ranked Brown County on January 20—a game that showed how thin the margin is at the top of the conference. Three nights later, Triopia responded the right way, earning a 48-32 road win over West Central in Bluffs. Next comes tournament time, and with it, a rivalry that needs no introduction. Triopia opens its hosted tournament on January 26 with an 8 p.m. matchup against Beardstown in the final game of the day.
West Central’s boys found themselves in a holding pattern after the Winchester Tournament. Their lone contest during the stretch was the January 23 loss to Triopia. A scheduled road game with Barry-Western on January 24 was postponed due to the winter storm, and questions remain about when the Winchester Elementary gym will be ready for use.
If conditions cooperate, the Cougars are slated to host North Mac on January 27 before traveling to Auburn on January 29 and Athens on January 31.
The Jacksonville girls experienced the full swing of a winter week. On January 19, the Lady Crimsons snapped a three-game losing streak with a 32-28 win over Athens. Any momentum gained there was short-lived, however, as Jacksonville fell 52-23 at Jersey Community on January 22. A scheduled home game against Illini Central/Greenview on January 24 was canceled due to weather, adding another interruption to an already uneven stretch.
The Lady Crimsons close out January with conference games against Sacred Heart-Griffin at home on January 27 and Decatur Eisenhower on the road January 30, before a non-conference meeting with Bloomington at home on January 31.
Right now, few teams in the area are playing better basketball than the West Central girls. Fresh off their championship at the Lady Spartan Classic, the Lady Cougars extended their winning streak to five games. They edged Illini West 38-34 on the road January 19, then returned home to overwhelm North Greene 71-25 on January 22. West Central won’t play again until February 2 at Carrollton.
After coming up short against West Central in the Lady Spartan Classic title game, Triopia’s girls wasted little time getting back on track.
The Lady Trojans handled South Fulton 51-18 at home on January 19, triggering a running clock in the fourth quarter. They followed that with a 46-29 road win over the New Berlin/South County co-op on January 22. Triopia heads back out on the road January 26 for a matchup with Pittsfield.
The New Berlin/South County co-op split recent action, but showed positive signs. Prior to the loss to Triopia, the team earned a 41-28 non-conference win over Greenfield-Northwestern on January 20. The co-op returns to action January 26 at Gillespie, then hosts Porta A/C on January 28.
While current teams push toward February, Jacksonville High School also paused to look back. The 2026 Jacksonville High School Crimsons Sports Hall of Fame class was announced, and it’s one that spans generations and sports—from gym floors and tracks to national and international stages.
This year’s inductees include Emilie Bezler, Julie Manker Brennan, Steve Bone, DeVante Clark, Kara Brown Franke, Gabe Megginson, Jay Meyer, Latisha Johnson Nosa, Brian Scott and Bobby Thomson.
These are names tied to championships, records, leadership and longevity. Some went on to college stardom. Others reached professional or Olympic levels. All of them helped define what it meant to wear a Crimson uniform. In a week filled with postponed games and shifting schedules, that reminder felt especially timely.
